Machine-to-machine (M2M) communications, also known as machine-type communications (MTC), is the communication between devices without human involvement. Wireless communication networks are increasingly being used for M2M communications. For example, wireless devices are now being used in metering applications to report usage of utilities such as power and gas, in sensor networks, to collect data from sensors, and for location fleet tracking applications. It is expected that in the near future, the demand for M2M communications will surpass normal human-to-human (H2H) communications.
The Long Term Evolution (LTE) network and other broadband networks currently being deployed were designed to support high rate data services such as media streaming. The signaling overhead required to establish and maintain a communication session is high, and for high data rate applications the signaling overhead represents only a small portion of the total data being transmitted over the network. In typical M2M applications, the signaling overhead can be prohibitive because in typical M2M communications data transmissions are infrequent and comprise only a small amount of data. For example, in metering applications, the wireless device may transmit the current meter reading only once per month. In this case, the signaling to establish the communication link may exceed the amount of user data that is transmitted. As the number of M2M devices increases, more and more resources will need to be allocated to signaling overhead in order to avoid congestion, which means that fewer resources will be available for transmission of user data.
Further, the service profile for M2M may require only periodic, asynchronous, and unreliable data transmission. Many of the protocols used for high data rate transmissions are not necessary to meet the service requirements for M2M communications. The unnecessary protocols increase the complexity and cost of wireless devices used for M2M communications.